Automatic bag filling and weighing machine



April 27, 1943.

G. W. TALBOT v 2,317,865 AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. l0, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l April 27, 1943. G. w. TALBOT AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO RN EY April 27, 1943.

G. W. TALBOT AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed sept.. 1o, 1940 5 Sheet's-Sheet 3 ATTO R N EY April 27, 1943. G, w, TALBOT AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. lO, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 27, 1943., G. w. TALBoT 2,317,865

AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l lNvENToR Genji/key WMZ mlo ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 27, 1943 "2,317,865 AUTOMATIC BAG FILLING WEIGHING MACHIN Geoirey William Talbot, Buxton, England assignor to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, a corporation of Great Britain Application September 8 Claims.

This invention relates to bag illling and weighing machines oi' the kind in which the bag is supported on a scale pan carried by a frame in which the bag is positioned during lllng from a spout delivering powdered or granular material into the bag, and for discharging illled bags from such machines.

With machines at present in use the filled bags are drawn oil? the lling spout by hand onto a belt conveyor or trolley. This requires considerable physical effort on the part of the operator and the time taken by the necessary movements imposes a limitation on the output of the machine. Further, when the bags are drawn off the front of the machine this part of the machine must be left completely open, and consequently the operator is not protected from dust ejected from the nllling spout or from burst bags. With materials such as hydrated lime or cement, the effects of dust may be very distressing to the operator and may seriously reduce his eiliciency.

One object of the present invention is to pro'- vide a bag filling and weighing machine the operation of which requires less physical effort than in the case of known machines of similar type. Another object is to increase the output of the machine by reducing the time taken by the movements of the operator in controlling the ina-- chine, and in particular in discharging the filled bags. Another object'l is to provide a machine which will aiord increased protection to the opy :rater from dust. Further objects will appear hereinafter.

According to my invention, in a bag illling and weighing machine of the kind in which the bag is supported on a scale pan carried by a frame in which the bag `is positioned during filling from a spout delivering powdered or granular material into the bag, the bottom of the scale pan is collapsible, the arrangement being such that the bottom of the scale pan can be collapsed when the correct weight is reached, whereupon the bag falls freely from the frame. Usually a chute is provided to receive the illed bags, and at the bottom of the chute a conveyor is arranged to carry the illled bags away. Preferably the collapsible bfttom of the scale pan is spring-controlled so that when the'bag has fallen from the frame the collapsible bottom to the uncollapsed position. The bottom of the scale pan may consist of two hinged ilaps normally retained in the uncollapsed position by means which can be released when the filled bag is ready for discharge.

In one form of machine according to the inin particular to improved means 10, 1940, Serial N0. Great Britain July 16, 1939 vention the nlling spout is arranged so as to project sideways into the top of the bag to be filled (which is usually provided with a non-return valve) and the scale pan is adapted to tilt so as to free the bag from the spout before the bottom of the scale provided for preventing tilting oi the scale pan during filling of the" bag until the correct weight is reached. Such means may be positive mechanical means such as a trigger mechanism or they may consist in a, bag clamping device which presses the top of the bag on to the spout and thereby anchors it against outward tilting movement. In one arrangement 'the scale pan is pivoted in the frame in such a position that the weight of the bag tends to tilt the scale pan, the scale pan being provided with a back member embracing the filled bag and tilting with the scale pan to carry the top of the bag clear of the spout. .The tilting oi the'scale pan may be caused to release the means for retaining the bottom of the scale tion.

If desired the means controlling the collapsing, or tilting and collapsing, of the scale pan may be subject to hand operation. Thus in a machine adapted for filling and weighing, in succession, a number of bags on a row of separate scale pans pan in the uncollapsedposiwith collapsible bottoms, hand-operated means may be providedV controlling the collapsing, or tilting and collapsing, of each scale pan, including a lever or switch which starts the ow of material through the spout on which an empty bag has been placed and also releases means preventing the collapsing, or tilting and collapsing, of the scale pan carrying the bag the lling of which has just been completed. In this way it is ensured that two bags are not discharged at is automatically returned the same time, which might cause Jamming of the conveyor on to which the bags fall. Further, no bag can be removed from the spout until its contents are of the correct weight.

In a preferred form of the machine a chute is provided to receive the bag as it drops from the frame, and the wall of the chute is extended upwardly in front of the machine to a. height such that the operator has sumcient room to insert fresh bags on the spout or spouts but is protected from material spilled from any burst bags.

One form of the invention applicable either to a single machine or to a machine for iilling a plurality of bags seriatim, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section of a bag-nlllng and weighing mechanism. illustrating Vtratingthe positions of the parts at the moment when theV bag has been lled completely, the scale-pan device has dropped and the apparatus `is-'in position to permit unlatching of the tiltable -Y portion of the bag-supportingplatform device.

free its upper end from` the spout. In the construction illustrated, thetiltable member Ib is 4provided with pivot pins or trunnions'journaled in bearings in the lower part 6a of the hanger. one of said pivot pins or trunnions being shown at I4, Fig. 1, there being a. corresponding pivot pin or trunnion on the opposite side of the tilt- Aable frame.

The collapsible bottom is suitably connected Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, lil t0 the tiltable member 6b so as to allow of an partly in section and partly broken away, illustrating the positions of the` parts at the moment y 'of discharge of the bag, the" elements which cause return quickly to normal position, even before the bag is discharged.` The upper portion of this gure shows the parts of the second or rightA hand machine of Fig. 4, ready to receive an empty bag. The lower part of said Fig. 3 shows a part of the left hand machine of Fig. 4 with a part of the lledjbag ready to be discharged, the

Mangularl movement of the bottom in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spout. so that the said bottom may move from a position where it can form a platform to support a so that each flap can drop downward from a latch mechanism for said left hand machine being shown ingdotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevation of an apparatus illustrating a machine having two bag-nlling and weighing mechanisms side Vby side, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammaticview in perspective, on a somewhat exaggerated scale forA purposes of explanation hereinafter of the manner in which the tilting and'collapsing of the bag-sup# porting mechanism may be controlled. In this,

bag duringthe illing operation to a downward position, when itis collapsed to discharge the bag. In the.embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the bottom consists of two aps 5, each suitably hinged, as indicated at 33, to the respective side members of the tiltable frame 6b,

bag-supporting position to a collapsed position, whereby the bag, then in an inclined position, is free to fall downward from the machine. The collapsible bottom and the tiltable member constitute a bag-supporting scale-pan device which can tilt to release ailled bag from the iiiling spout 2, and then collapse to allow the bag to drop from the machine. Y

The entire bag-supporting device ls carried by a scale-mechanism in the usual way, as for example by pivoting the hanger frame on arms of the scale mechanism, one, of which arms, re-.

sembling a steelyard, is indicated at 9, with its pivotal point arranged as indicated at 8.

The frame is guided at the upper end by a link I2, pivoted at one end to the machine frame and at the other end to the hanger frame.

The scale mechanism is indicated somewhat diagrammatically in the drawings. One of its lever arms 9 is illustrated as pivotally supported on a rigid erom-member l0 of the casing il of anism will iiirst be described, it being understood l that in an apparatus embodying a plurality of such mechanisms they are all alike in their principal elements, so that a description of one will I,

serve for all.

Referring to Figure l, the material to be lled into the bags falls from a hopper (not shown) into the feeding passage i through which it is fed by the usual rotary feeding devices, to the spout 2 which projects sideways into the bag 34 to be lled., A slide 4 is provided to cut oi the feed when the correct weight has been attained.

The bag 3 is carried by a bag-supporting device comprising a hanger, carrying a tiltable and collapsible bag-supporting scale-pan device. As shown in the drawings, the hanger consists of an upper part 8, and a'lower part 6a, which may be adjusted relative to the upper part by slot and bolt connection to adjust the machine -orm. The tiltable member, inY this case formed as a generally U-shaped frame, 6b, is mounted in the lower part 6a of the hanger so that it may the machine. Suitable weights for the scale mechanism are indicated at W, Fig. 1.

Suitable means of a well known type for re'- taining the bag-supporting device in its Araised position for filling a bag and for allowing the said device to descend to' a lower position when A the bag is lled, Afor automatically shutting 0E have an angular movement of itself with the accompanying bottom in a direction such that the scale-pan device may move from a position where it can support a bag during the filling operation to a position where it tilts the bag to the supply of material to the spout or nozzle, and for releasing the bag clamp, are illustrated in Figs. l. and 2 of the drawings. The detailsr of thls part of the machine constitute no part of the present invention and hence need be only briey described, as follows:

The upper part of the hanger 6 isvarranged to hold in its raised position a lever l1, by means of a trigger mechanism which includes a stop 26, carried by'said hanger part 6, arranged vto engage a trigger arm, indicated at 26a. The trigger arm is pvoted to a lever indicated at I1, which isY fulcrumed on the machine as at ila in the usual way and carries a weighted member 28 also pivoted at Ha and having a notch or shoulder to engage theV upper end of one arm 21 of a three-armed lever i8, also fulcrumed on the machine, as indicated at 29.

A second arm 88a oi lever Vl 8 extends to the front vof the machine and has alateral projection 34 which can engage the upper side of' the lever il.

The third arm leb of the lever i8 is connected to a slide or cut-oi device 4. The lower end of this device is connected to one end of a tension spring 30 whose other end is attached to a part .ofthe machine frame as indicated at 30a. The

cated in Flg.,1.

asmscs engagement with the upper arm of lever I8 when lever Il is dropped. This cannotoccur so long as the trigger arm 28a rests on the stop Y25 carried by the hanger frame in the position indi- 'However, as soon as the weight of the filled bag overcomes the scale weight and the bag lmoves the hanger parts 8 and 6a far enough'downward to withdraw the stop from the orbit of thebottom end of the trigger arm, the

lever II drops, lifts the weighted member 28, and releases the three-armed lever I8, which drops, aided by the spring 30, whereby the cutofi' slide l is closed to shut oi! the supply of material.

For the purposefof clamping the empty bag to the spout or`nozzle 2, a swinging cam I3 is provided, this-having an arm 3| which is in the Apath'of the lever Il, so that as this falls, the

cam I3 will be raised from its position where it presses the bag against the spout 2. When the arm 3| is freed by lifting the lever I'I, in resetting the apparatus the weight of the cam I3 will cause it to fall into its clamping position. It will be seen that with a mechanism such as described and a tiltable and collapsible bag-sup.-

porting scale-pan device, the latter will be lowered when the bag it supports has been filled to the correct weight, and thenthe bag can' be released from the spout by tilting the scale-pan device and thereafter will be discharged downward by collapsing the bottom.

In order to prevent the tlltingand collapsing of the bag-supporting scale-pan device during the filling operation and to allow such tilting and collapsing when the bag is completely filled to the required weight, suitable latch mechanism is provided for retaining the tiltable member 6a in its bag-filling position. In the present apparatus, an ordinary swinging detent lever I5 is provided, this being pivoted at I5a on an arm I5b suitably fixed to the lower part 6a of the hanger, this swinging detent lever being biased to remain in itserect position, in the usual manner, either byhaving its center of gravity below its pivotal axis or by a biasing spring. A stop carried by the back member may be provided to limit the movement of the detent lever I5, as indicated at I5c, Fig. 1.

The swinging detent lever I5 in its normal erect position has its -lower end resting just above a stop I6 secured to the tiltable member 6b in such a position that the said frame cannot be tilted until the detent lever I5 has been swung out of the orbit of the stop I3. For the purpose of swinging the detent lever I5, a striker rod 2| is provided, which rod carries a striker knob 22, arranged to strike the upper end of the detent lever I5 only when the scale-pan'is in its lowermost position. The upper end of'sald-detent lever has an overhanging extension which is engaged by the nose 22 only when said extension and said nose. are in proper alignment, ,this occurring only when a bag has been filled to its correct weight and the scale pan device has fallen to its lowest position. of the knob 22 is substantially horizontal and is limited so that unless it is opposite thel overone of which is indicated at 24,

. 3 hanging extension of the detent lever Il it cannot swing said lever to release the tiltable member '8b but will merely move idly Vin the space below the said overhanging extension. In other words, the movement of the knob 22 horizontally is less than the length in a horizontal direction of the underside of said overhanging extension. The rod 2| is suitably carried by the machine frame, as by a link 2Ia vsupported by `a bracket" Illa from the cross-piece I8 of the machine frame.

The means for moving the striker arm 2| will be referred to hereinafter.

In order to prevent the collapsing of the bagsupporting bottom, during the filling operation,

each'fiap 5 is provided with a stop or nose I which A engages the rounded bottom surface of the lower part 5a of the hanger until the tilting of the tiltable member 6b has caused the nose 1 of each flap to ride oilr the said rounded bottom surface of the part 6a until it is opposite a notched or cut away portion 32 of lsaid part 6b, whereupon the nose 'I enters said notch and the flap collapses. Each flap is acted upon by a coil-spring, which tendsW-to return its flap to its bag-filling position but`is not strong enough to withstand the load on its flap due to a filled bag.

With the type of apparatus illustrated in thedrawings, the operation of filling and weighing a bag is as usual and`need'be only briefly des cribed, as follows:

With the lever I1 dropped down,l an empty bag may be slid ontothe spout or nozzle 2, the clamping cam I3 being in its lifted position.' 'I'hen the lever Il is raised by hand, thus also raising the lever I8, because of the lateral extension 34 which rides on the lever I'I.v

The lever I8 is latched in its raised position by the weighted member 28 which lifts to allow the upper end of arm 21 to rideunder it, and drops to engage said upperend, in the usual way. At

the same time, the trigger arm Ila comes to rest I on the stop 26 as indicated in Fig. 1. The lifting of the three-armed lever I8 moves the cutoff slide 4 to its open position, thereby admitting the material 'to bey bagged to the spout and Vthence to the bag.

When the bag has filled to the point where its weight overcomes the action of the vweight W carried by the scale mechanism, the whole bagsupporting device descends, thereby lowering the stop 26, carried by the upper part of the hanger, so as to free the trigger-arm I'Ia and allow the lever I1 to drop, thus lifting the weighted member 28, and releasing it from' the upper end of the arm 21 of the three-.armed lever I8, which then also drops, being aided by the action of the spring 3|I,.which closes the cut-olf slide 4 and shuts off the supply of material to the bag. 'I'he bag-clamping cam I3 is raised by the dropping of lever I'I Which strikes the arm 3| carried by the cam I3.

When the .bag-supporting device reaches its lowest position, the extension at the upper end of the detent lever I5 comes into alignment with the knob 22 of the striker rod 2|, as shown in Fig. 2. If, now the rod 2| be moved enough to cause its knob to strike the extension consti- The i'noveme+ A.tilted and, as

swinging detent lever lower end moves out 6b, the latter is then free to be the aps 5 are carried by the tiltable member, they, aswell as the back-member block I6 on the tilt-l l5, may be tilted to carry the lled bag away from the spout or nozzle 2. The positions of the parts will be as shown in Fig. 3.

When the tiltable member 6b and its iiaps have been tilted to the full extent of their movement, the ilaps are released, as hereinbefore described, and collapse, thus freeing the tilted bag and allowing it to be discharged from the machine.

When thefiaps 5 are returned to their closed position by the springs 24, and they and the tiltable member Bb have been swung into the baglling position, each flap will be held in this position by contact of its nose 1 with the rounded bottom surface of the hanger part 6a, and thev whole scale pan device will be latched in the bag-lling position by the swinging detent lever I5 engaging the pin orvblock I6 on the tiltable frame, it being understood that the striker knob 22 was withdrawn so soon as it completed the unlatching operation.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the striker arm 2| is moved toward and from the detent lever |5 by means of a rod I9 suitably connected to the striker `rod 2| so that an upward pull on the rod I9 will move the striker knob 22 toward and into contact with the detent lever |5.

With a single machine, the rod may be pulled up directly by hand in any suitable way, but in a machine for filling a plurality of bags, it is more convenient to have the rod I9 oi one machine actuated by the `upward movement of lever |1 of the adjacent bag-iilling and weighing machine, so that when the' operator has put a bag on the spout vof the empty machine and raises the lever I1 of that machine to start the filling operation, the raising of such lever I1 will pull upward the rod I9 df the companion machine and thereby trip the ,swinging detent lever of said companion machine, if it has a completely iilled bag.

The means for lifting the rod I9 by the lever |1 may include a trigger mechanism of the type indicated at 26 and |1a, suitable bell-crank de vices being employed where necessary.

For the purpose of clearer explanation, reference is made to Fig. 5, and to avoid confusionit is well to designate the lever I1 of the left hand machine as I1 and that of the other machine as |1, so that one may -be distinguished from the other. This gure of the drawings is a diagrammatic perspective View of a usual trigger mechanism and bell-crank devices giving a cross- Y connection between the adjacent machines, the parts for the left-hand machine of Fig. 4 being given the usual reference letters and those for spout' and' allow the collapse y"of the bottom to l discharge the bag. f For the purpose of momentarily lifting the rod 20c3: being connected to the striker rod.2|3:'. A

When the lever I1 is raised to start the filling operation of its machine, it raises arm I8, whose pin 40 catches under the trigger arm 38cm and lifts it, moving the crank arm 38h31 a short distance upward'until the orbit of the pin 49 no longer intersects the orbit of the end of the trigger arm 3803:, after which the crank arm 38113: drops because of its own weight and that of the rod |93: connected to it.

The connection between the lever |1:c of the I right hand machine and the unlatching mechanism of the left hand machine by which the' position, so as to align the striker knob 22 and the extension on the end of said detent lever |5.

In thev best embodiment of the invention, the pivotal axis of the tiltable frame is not under the center of gravity of the lled bag, whereby when the detent leverY i5 of a machine has been released from the stop I6, the tiltable frame will be tilted by the weigth of the bag it supports, the bottom will then collapse and discharge the bag,

whereupon the iiaps will be'returned by their springs 24, and the` tiltable frame can return to its bag-lling position. y

A chute 23 is provided to catch a bagimmediately on its discharge and conduct to a suitable conveyor. This chute has as wall extended upward into close proximity to the outer side of thertilted bag, so that the drop of the bag to the y Y chute wall is relatively small, so that thedanger the right machine being given the same refer- Y ence letters with an ailixed additional letter 3:.

For convenience of illustration, it is assumed that A the left hand machine is in the position where it has discharged its bag, and lever |1 is down ready for the placing of an empty bag. The right hand machine is assumed to have just lled a bag and to be ready to discharge it.

The operator places an empty bag on the spout of the left hand machine. 'I'hen he raises the.,

of injury to the bag is reduced, thereby permitting the use of lighter bags.

The front of the machine is partly closed in as shown at 25, thus protecting the operator from dust spilled from the filling spout and material in diierent size bags, by varying the length of the frame 4side members;

As many widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments thereof, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bag-lling and weighing machine, comprising a scale-mechanism, a lling spout arranged to enterthe side of a bag, means for supplying material to be bagged to said filling spout,

^ taining the 2,317,865 a cut-oil.' device arranged to control the supply supply ci'V material to the spout. a scale-pan oi' material to the spout, a scale-pan hanger sur, Y hanger supported by the scale-mechanism so as ported by the scale-m so as to rise and to rise and fall, and means tor holding the cutfall, releasable means for clamping a bag to the spout, and means for holding the cut-ol! device with relation thereto in a direction to free a illled bag from the spout, a bag-supporting collapsible bottom carried by said tiltable member and angularly movable with relation thereto to discharge a bag, and means for retaining the co1- lapsible bottom against collapse during the ililing of the bag, said means being released upon the tilting of the tiltable member.

2. In a bag-illling and weighing machine, comprising a scale-mec a' tllling spout arranged to enter the side oi' a bag, means for supplying material to be bagged to said lling spout, a cut-oil' device arranged to control the supply of material to the spout, a scale-pan hanger supported by the scale-mechanism so as to rise and fall, and means for holding the cut-oli device open, said holding means being released when the hanger descends, to allow the cut-ot! device combination, with said hanger, of a bag-supporting scale-pan device comprising a tiltable member carried by the vhanger and angularly movable with relation thereto in a direction to free a illled bag from the spout, a bag-supporting collapsible bottom carried by said tiltable member and angularly movable with relation thereto to discharge a bag, and means for retaining the collapsible bottom against co1- lapse during the filling of the bag, said means being released upon the tilting of the tiltable member, means for latching the tiltable member in its position for bag-filling, and means for releasing said latching means.

3. In a bag-lling and weighing machine, comprising a scale-mechanism, a lling spout arranged to enter the side of a bag, means for supplying material to be bagged to said filling spout, a cut-oil device arranged to control the supply of material to the spout, a scale-pan hanger supported by the scale-mechanism so as to rise and fall, and means for holding the cut-off device 'bag-supporting collapsible bottom carried by said tiltable member and angularly movable with relation thereto to discharge a bag, means for recollapsible bottom against collapse during the illing ofthe bag, said means being released upon the tilting of the tiltable member, means movable with the hanger for latching the tiltable member in its position for bag-filling, and means for releasing said latching means when the hanger and scale-pan device have descended to their lowest positions.

4. In a bag-lllng andy weighing machine, comprising a scale-mechanism, a iliing spout arranged to enter the side of a bag, means for supplyingmaterlal to be bagged to said iilling spout, a cut-oil! device arranged to control the ofi device open, said holding means being released when the hanger descends,

retaining the collapsible bottom vagainst collapse during the filling of the bag, said means being released upon the tilting o! the tiltable member,

ing to claim 1, in which the axis about which the carrying a back-member tilting with it to aid in carrying the top of the bag clear of the spout.

7. In a bag-lilling and weighing apparatus comprising at least two bag-filling and weighing machines arranged side by side, each machine comprising a scale-mechanism, a filling spout arranged to enter the side of a bag, means for supplying material to be bagged to said spout, a cut-oil' device arranged to control the suppl;` of

bag to be discharged.

8. In a bag-illlng and weighing machine, a spout, a scale-pan hanger, a tiltable and colo Alapsible scale-pan device comprising e. tiltable member pivotally mounted in the hangerfor Y angular movement to free e, bag from the spout and acollapsible bottom consisting of two aps.,

each hinged to the tiltable member tolallow the aps to collapse downward to discharge e, bag, latching means movable with thehanger for' re taining the tiltable member in its position for bag-mung, ,means 'for releasing said latching" positions.

GEOFFREY OT. 

